Clues
by chiheerios
Summary: May change title later. Ali gives her friends 5 clues. Then she dies. Do the clues link to her death? Read to find out! Please R
1. Chapter 1

**Summary-Ali had been dropping strange hints before she died. Each hint is a clue-ish thing that leads to how she died. **

**I haven't finished the series yet, so this is based on what I know.**

**Chapter 1~Dropping Hints-FLASHBACK-**

The girls were flopped out on Ali's patio sitting in huge deck chairs.

"Mona Vanderwaal must not know how to dress herself. Her clothes SCREAM trash bin."

"Yeah!" Hanna agreed quickly, taking a sip of the diet iced tea Ali purposely bought outside. She felt a twinge of anger, but still, there was a desire burning in her to dethrone Ali from her throne. So she tolerated all this stuff Ali did.

Aria hesitantly agreed to whatever Ali said, but lately, she'd been trying to avoid Ali since they found out about her dad and Meredith. Ali had been dangling it in front of her, teasing her with it, threatening to tell her mother. Aria wanted to throw herself against Ali and tape her mouth shut. Ali was SO manipulative.

Thoughts like Aria's were racing through Spencer's mind. She was SICK of seeing Ali being handed the world on a silver platter. She wanted to slap some sense into Ali. The REAL world was nothing like Ali's princess land. But still, Spencer felt a pang of loyalty coarse through her. Ali chose HER as one of her BFF's and she didn't want to lose her 'friendship' just yet…

Emily might be the only one of the girls who didn't hold a grudge against Ali (**a/n-if she did, let me know so I can fix it!) **. She was fiercely protective of her, hence her nickname 'Killer'. If Emily heard anything that the other girls thought, she would lash out, defending Ali even if she didn't know why…

Maybe Ali should've protected her a little better if she loved her so much. Would Emily have been willing to die for Ali? You won't know unless you ask…

"Anyway girls, I've called you here for…an impromptu meeting." Ali began. 

"For what?" Emily whispered, looking towards the woods, leaning on the edge of her seat.

Ali smiled. "For a little game. It's one I only let my very BEST friends play."

Emily blushed. She and Ali and the others were _very best friends!_

"What game?" Aria asked.

"It's kind of like a long term scavenger hunt. Each clue I give you will unlock you a thing about me you never knew and something about my future plans."

"Oh." Aria mumbled, slightly surprised and disappointed. 

"I'll tell you the clues. It's how you play. The clues are…" she took a deep breath. "Mousse, locket, photos, cereal, and notebook. The game starts…now."

The girls got up and scrambled around the yard. Ali smiled, not knowing they'd find the clues and their meanings too late.

**A/N-R&R**


	2. Mousse Stains

Chapter 2-Part 1~Mousse Stains -FLAHBACK-

Now that Aria had some time to think after Ali initiated the scavenger hunt, she began to wonder.

Which mousse did Ali mean?

An animal? Moose were…uncommon in Rosewood. She'd seen some in Iceland, but then again, what significance would a moose be to Ali?

Aria remembered Ali's favorite mousse for hairstyling. She used that stuff up quickly. Maybe that was the clue..

Aria went around to Aria's front yard while Ali was watching Emily look in the backyard for a notebook. She went to the DiLaurentis' garbage can and pulled the top off. She sifted through the contents, finding nothing. Perhaps Ali had recycled it?

Aria replaced the lid and went to the recycling bin. She plunged her hand in. She pulled out a bottle of mousse! Carefully pulling the top off, she found a small photo with a picture of 2 girls who looked identical to Ali. In the bottom right hand corner was a the fix a photo a icon. Ali probably used one of the apps to make a duplicate of herself. She smiled and tore to the backyard, waving the can triumphantly over her head.

"I have the mousse!"

Ali held out a hand. "Give it to me."

Aria did.

Ali carefully unscrewed the cap. "Uh, wrong one. Try again." she smirked.

Aria felt like dust being blown into the wind.

"But it was the only one in the bin!"

Ali smiled sympathetically. "Try again."

Aria bit her tongue and smiled. "OK."

"Good."

Aria joined the others as they scoured Ali's yard. Aria swore she could here a sinister laugh and a "You'll never guess it!" on Ali's lips, but at the same time, a scared voice.

**Chapter 2 coming up by Sunday. Please R&R**


	3. Found

**Chapter 3**

Why of why did Ali make them do this scavenger hunt? Spencer kicked a clump of grass as she shuffled around Ali's yard. Ali could just directly tell them, right? But she probably had some motive for this. Probably. Maybe she wanted to embarrass them in front of everyone. Like that time she told Mona she'd be cool if she jumped into the dumpster to retriever her fabled 'favorite purple ring'. Unbeknownst to Mona, it was a lie. That day, Mona was crowned 5th grade dork by Ali.

"Find any clues girls?" Ali was perched on her deck, watching the girls like a hawk.

"No." Emily replied.

Ali smiled coyly. "Keep looking."

Emily dove into a pile of dirt by the edge of Ali's yard. Hanna looked in the bushes dividing Ali's yard from Spencer's, gingerly pulling the branches out of her way. Aria sat, sulking about the recycling bin mess up. Spencer angrily kicked the dirt, as if looking for a hidden camera.

"There's nothing underground Spence." Ali materialized beside Spencer. "Stop messing up the grass."

Spencer gritted her teeth. "Can we take a break?"

Ali smiled gently. "Sure…BREAK TIME GIRLS!"

The other girls came running up to Ali. Emily stood right in front of Ali. Spencer swore she was growling.

"Easy there, Killer!" Ali laughed. She waved her hand, leading the girls inside. She opened the fridge, pulling out a box of popsicles. "Dig in!"

Spencer noted the box read: _Low Calorie! Sugar Free!. _She turned to Hanna, who she noticed wincing before pulling out an orange popsicle.

Ali pulled out a purple one and began eating it. That's when Spencer remembered something.

_Cereal!_ She lunged toward Ali's cabinet and opened the box of _Wheat Flax Cereal. _

"Fiber enhanced. Happy birthday Hanna." Ali sneered.

Hanna shrunk back a little.

Spencer took the box of _Honey O's. _A small sheet of silver paper twirled to the ground. Spencer picked it up, hands quivering.

_May 18__th__~return here._

_May 30__th__~leaves for 'The Preserve'._

Spencer was puzzled. "The preserve?"

"Yeah. And? You found the first item!" Ali handed Spencer a bracelet. _Ali and Spencer-Best Friends Forever!_

Spencer forgot about the Preserve. "Thanks Ali! I love it!"

Ali smiled back. Spencer couldn't help but notice the frightened shine in her eyes.

**A/N-Slight spoilers. Sorry! I try to make spoilers not too obvious! But sadly, this was obvious =( **

**Ali knows about Hanna's bulimic issues, so the fiber thing was kind of a cruel joke. I think everyone knows what fiber does…**

**PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE R&R!**


	4. Jealous Little Liar?

**Chapter 4**

_Ali favors Spencer _Emily thought grimly as she watched Jenna Cavanaugh teeter precariously down her driveway. _Spencer and Ali always do everything first and together. It's like they establish our friendship! _Emily sat on Ali's bed. The others were talking about boys. She watched Jenna teeter around a bit more before redirecting her attention to her friends.

Aria sat still, holding her pink mohair phone case against her chest.

Hanna sat next to Ali, pressing her finger hard in her stomach, as if willing her to lose weight.

Spencer was sitting next to Ali. She and Ali were scribbling in a book and laughing.

"Mona will flip when we send this to her.

_Meet me behind the school._

_From Noel Kahn_

"Isn't that a little steep?" Aria murmured.

"No!" Spencer laughed. "It's funny!" Emily's theory was proved. Spencer was literally becoming Ali Jr.

Ali laughed along with Spencer and high fived her. Emily groaned.

"What's wrong EMIWEE!" Ali crooned maliciously. "Is someone feeling JEALOUS!"

"No!" Emily stood up abruptly.

"She's lying!" Spencer proclaimed giddily jumping up. "Liar."

"I'm NOT Spencer!"

Ali rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

Emily huffed indignantly and sat down.

Ali rolled her eyes. "4 more items to find girls. Locket, notebook, mousse, and photo."

Emily resumed staring out the window. When she found an item, Ali would run up to her, arms open, hugging her, maybe even a peck on the cheek. She present Emily with a bracelet, like the one she'd given Spencer. Then Ali would think Emily was really cool…

"Emily." Ali loomed over her. "Leave. It's like…dinner."

Emily looked at Ali's clock. Sure enough, it was 6:30.

"What was I doing the whole time?"

Ali rolled her eyes, a DUH expression on her face. "Sleeping. Just didn't wanna wake you. You've been out for 30 minutes."

Emily wiped her mouth, thinking she had drooled on Ali's bed. She hadn't luckily.

Ali opened the door. "Bye."

"Bye."

Emily left Ali awkwardly. She opened Ali's front door and saw something glittering on the sidewalk.

**A/N-CLIFF HANGER! I'll update ASAP, but school kind of ruins your life when inspiration strikes. **

**Please R&R. **


	5. Vanish

_**A/N-Strangely enough, I think I MIGHT actually finish this story and my other one The Puppetmaster**_**. Both are PLL stories. PLL is just so fun to write and I really like exploring Ali's character.**

**Filler Chapter**

**Ch. 4**

Hanna had walked home from Ali's feeling fat and ugly. Ali loved doing that to her. Shoving the Low Calorie/Sugar Free popsicles in her face. The heartless fiber joke. Sometimes Hanna wanted to punch Ali, yet, she also wanted to be like her. Feared, but still liked (in a way).

Hanna trudged home. She felt as if she was trudging through heavy snowfall. She couldn't muster up enough energy to sprint home, so, instead, she did it in strides, small bursts of energy. She felt tired and weak, like someone had punched her hard in the stomach, or as Ali would say, her 'excess fat'.

Dizzily, Hanna unlocked the front door and stomped upstairs to her room. She flopped backwards on her bed. She felt faint. Maybe she just needed a nap…

_Hanna_, a voice called to her. _Hanna, wake up._

Hanna sat up rubbing her eyes. Ali loomed above her.

_Ali?_ Hanna croaked. Her voice was scratchy.

Ali giggled. _Yeah. _

_Where am I? _Hanna asked. She wasn't in her room. Or anyone else she knew.

_I don't know. But I need to tell you something. _Ali whispers. Hanna leans closer to Ali. _I'll tell you where one of the clues is hidden._

Hanna bolts upright. _Where?_

Ali looks around. _A clue is hidden…_

Then Ali vanished and Hanna woke up, feeling better than she had before.

_What was Ali going to say?_

**Meanwhile…**

Ali was sitting in her den reading a magazine and looking out the window. Jenna Cavanaugh appeared out of her car and walked inside her house. Her eyes swept across her living room now. Her fingers dove into her pocket, feeling the paper Spencer had found. She squished it in her hand, wanting it to burn. Why couldn't _she _never come home.

**Please R&R.**


	6. Pranks Are No Fun Unless Preformed etc

**A/N-Shortened chapter title-Pranks Are No Fun Unless Performed For Everyone.**

**Or-Midnight Planning**

**Chapter 5-Pranks, Pranks, They Are No Fun Unless Performed For Everyone**

Ali slept fitfully that night, tossing and turning in her bed wildly. She was coming home soon. And she couldn't wave a magic wand and stop it. Reality hurt her. It reminded her of something she'd heard Spencer say before. "_Ali, you've got to step out of your dreamland and into the real world. Life's pleasures won't be handed to you on a silver plate!" _Normally, Ali would brush the comment aside. Spencer wasn't her mother! She didn't need to lecture her! Ali also believed that Spencer had stolen that line from a book or from her sister Melissa.

_Whatever._ Ali thought. However, she did need to talk to someone. Spencer was closest.

Ali got up and groped for the flashlight she kept under her bed. Her fingers curled around it and she pulled it into the moonlight. She scampered over to her window and flashed the light 2 times, meaning _Are you awake?_

A few minutes later 1 flash returned, meaning _Yes._

Ali returned with 3 little flashes. _Can we talk now?_

1 flash returned. Ali smiled and hopped out of her bed. She put her hair in a sloppy ponytail and quietly tip-toed down the stairs into the eerie moonlight bathed kitchen.

Ali looked outside from the sliding glass doors. She saw the raspberry bush near the borderline of her property rustle and she saw something step gingerly out of the bushes It was Spencer.

Ali quietly opened the backdoor and slipped out the door. Spencer stood on the porch.

"What's up?" Spencer whispered.

Ali twirled a loose strand of hair around her finger. "I just needed someone to talk to." she replied sheepishly. "Sorry."

Spencer shook her head. "Okay. I was going to talk to you too." she had on the bracelet Ali had given her earlier that day. She twirled it around her wrist.

"About what?"

"I dunno. Just wanted to talk. Like you."

Ali looked around and grabbed Spencer's hand. She pulled her toward a thicket of trees near the woods where there were flowering dogwood trees. Ali came to her favorite spot amongst the trees. She stomped on the soft grass and sat down. There were a few drops of dew on the grass.

Spencer sat in front of Ali. She found the smell of the dogwood flowers intoxicating.

"So," Ali's voice was as sweet as the dogwood flower's smell. "Are you ready for tomorrow?"

Spencer pulled her legs to her chest. "Ready for what?"

"You know," Ali simpered. She didn't really know what, so she decided to lie. She'd improvise at the last moment. "Mona's birthday 'surprise'"

Spencer shot up. "Oh, that. Mona was talking about It all last week." Spencer rolled her eyes. "It was pretty annoying."

Ali smiled. She didn't have to improvise. "Yeah it was. She doesn't need to rub her birthday in out faces."

Spencer agreed, digging her nails into the moist dirt. The moon hung like a plate in the sky.

"So, I've planned a 'surprise'." Ali said, making everything up. "I have a plan. I'm gonna bake her a cupcake with dry, crusty toothpaste in it!"

Spencer giggled uncomfortably.

"At least her breath will smell good for once!" Ali chortled.

"Ooh! Add lotion for the icing!"

"Perfect." Ali tapped her chin thoughtfully. She lifted a few dewy clumps of grass from the ground. "We should also bake her a nature cupcake. Made fresh with dew from the DiLaurentis backyard."

"And crabapples form the Hastings!" Spencer added.

"Raspberries from both our yards!"

"Sour blueberries from the wood!"

The girls fell into suppressed giggles.

"Oh, I'll add some soap shavings and tell her it's coconut!" Ali giggled. "We have to start baking!"

Spencer looked at the sky. It was like a black sheet with many punctures in it. "But it's 1 am."

"So?" Ali snorted. "You have an old Kiddie Bake oven in your old playhouse. We'll just use that."

Spencer sighed. "Do you have the ingredients?"

"No. But I'll be right back." Ali got up and ran toward her house. She slowly opened the back door and tiptoes up the stairs to the bathroom. As quietly as possible, she opened the squeaky bathroom door and took out the tube of crusty tooth paste and a bottle of wheat lotion. It smelled bad. She also took a bottle of cheap cherry scented lotion and a bar of soap.

Quietly as she went up, she came back down and slipped out the back door to Spencer who was waiting in the circle of dogwood trees. Ali smiled sinisterly.

"Ready."

Spencer got up and led Ali toward her yard. The two crawled through the space between the raspberry bushes and surfaced in Spencer's yard. The windmill creaked in the wind.

The two came to the old, beaten, ramshackle, playhouse. It wasn't one of those cheap plastic ones from the store. This one was built with oak paneling and real shingles, complete with a small slate sidewalk. Still, the ramshackle part was the state of it. It was covered with cocoons of butterflies and there were gypsy moth caterpillars on the ceiling and floor. About 5 shingles were missing from the ceiling. Spencer stopped using this playhouse when she was in 4th grade. That's why it was so badly kept.

Spencer unlocked the front door's little padlock with a bobby pin. She and Ali walked inside. It was a decent size. 10 feet by 10 feet.

Ali spotted the little oven in the corner. She walked over to it. 3 packs of unopened cake mix sat on top of it. Perfect.

"Melissa will probably have some water in the barn." Spence whispered. "I'll go get some."

Before she left, she shoved a little bowl at Ali. "Put the cake mix in and add the ingredients."

Ali nodded and Spencer slipped out the door to the barn. Ali smiled as she emptied the little pack of cake mix into the bowl, adding a pinch of dirt from the ground.

Spencer reappeared with water. Ali poured it into the bowl and used a plastic spoon Spencer had also bought back to stir.

"Put the mixture in the oven for 5 minutes." Spencer read off the manual. "Then enjoy!"

"Yeah enjoy." Ali popped the mixture into the oven and baked it for 5 minutes.

_Ding!_ 5 minutes later, the cupcake was done. Ali pulled out the cupcake. She opened the bottle of wheat lotion and the cherry lotion and poured them onto the cupcake so it would appear to have the consistency of icing.

"Mmm." Spencer chuckled. She placed a sour crabapple on top.

"Just right."

Spencer giggled as Ali pretended to eat it. "YUM!"

The two girls giggled and gossiped in the playhouse until about 4 o'clock when the sun began peeking around shrubs in little doses.

"I have to go." Ali whispered, taking the mutant cupcake. "See ya in school."

Spencer retreated to her house and Ali's to hers. She silently opened the front door and clambered upstairs to her room. She climbed into her bed and pulled the covers over her. She slept until 7. Yet, when she awoke, she felt refreshed.

Her mother came in, opening the blinds and curtains to let light in. Ali woke up immediately. Her mutant cupcake was under the bed. She smiled and went downstairs.

A bowl of Honey Wheat was on the table. Ali gulped it down and went upstairs to change her clothes and grabbed her cupcake. She ran downstairs and wrapped the cupcake in saran wrap. She skipped out the door into the welcoming sunlight.

Mona Vanderwaal walked out of her house proudly. She tried walking like Ali did, with pomp and spirit.

"Hi Ali." Mona stopped in front of Ali. She was wearing a pin that said _Today's MY Birthday_. Ali rolled her eyes. Mona was so stupid sometimes. And babyish.

"Mona."

Mona looked at Ali. "Today's my birthday."

"I know. I gotta go." Ali ran to the haven of the corner where 2 other girls in their class, Aimee Rivers and Brooke Smith were waiting for the bus.

Ali saw Spencer. She dodged people and ran to her.

"Ali! Hi!" Spencer whirled around.

"Hi Spence."

"Do you have the cupcake?"

"Yes." Ali breathed.

The two girls walked in silence to the school, grins creeping onto their faces. They reached the school yard later and pulled out their cupcake.

Mona sauntered clumsily into the school yard. Aria, Hanna, and Emily went over to Ali.

"What's happening?" Emily whispered.

"Oh, nothing. Just giving Mona a birthday 'treat'." Ali mumbled.

"Oh."

Mona walked up to Ali who was giggling with Spencer about the cupcake.

"Is that for me?"

Mona stuck her butt in everyone's business.

"Yes." Ali said. She handed the cupcake to Mona.

Mona smiled as she unwrapped the saran wrap. She brought the cupcake to her mouth and…

**CHOMP!**

She bit into the cupcake. Her face twisted up.

"YUCK! WHAT'S IN THIS?"

Ali tapped her chin. "Cake mix, water, old toothpaste, lotion, crabapple. The usual."

Mona's face was contorted. She spit the cupcake out. "EWWW!"

Ali pretended to cry.

Then Mona noticed something. A locket with a C hanging from Ali's backpack.

**A/N-LONGEST CHAPTER I'VE WRITTEN!**

**I'm so mean to Mona.**

**Please R&R**


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